The Angel in the Snow
by aishi22
Summary: When Tamaki finds out Kyouya is going to be spending Christmas Break alone, Tamaki comes up with a plan in order to make this Christmas the best Christmas yet for his best friend. Same sex pairing- can't stand it, then don't read.
1. Prologue

The Angel in the Snow

**Prologue**

Opening the door to the third music room of Ouran High School, one would have stepped into a beautiful winter wonderland, complete with frigid snow and beautiful guys waiting to shower attention on gorgeous girls in what was known as the Ouran High School Host Club.

*********

The golden-haired King gazed around their winter wonderland in awe, and grinning widely, said loudly,

"Kyouya; your idea for a winter theme was super! Great job!" Kyouya nodded from where he was sitting. He was at a table, serving warm, steaming tea to the three girls next to him, using what was called his "host side", in which he was prone to using flattery and charm, causing the girls he was serving to blush and sigh in bliss.

A few feet away from Kyouya, the Hitachiin twins were engrossed in what could be called a snowball fight. Kaoru, who had the better aim of the two, nailed Hikaru in the face, and Hikaru, surprised, fell over. Kaoru ran over and pulling his twin brother close, whispered,

"Hikaru- are you alright?" Hikaru nodded meekly.

"It…was just so cold…." Kaoru rubbed his forehead against Hikaru's gently.

"…let me warm you, Hikaru." The girls who were watching the tender exchange avidly screamed in delight as they got to witness the forbidden brotherly love.

Meanwhile, in another corner of the room, Honey and Mori were trying to create a snowman, Honey doing most of the work, and Mori helping him out of the snow whenever it fell on top of him. Nearby, Haruhi, the newest member of the host club, was trying to teach a few of the girls to ice skate.

_Yes_, Tamaki thought to himself, _things seem to be going perfectly for the last meeting of the year._ It would indeed be their last club meeting of the year- their winter break started tomorrow. Tamaki sighed sadly. The break would be dull without his friends around- the twins were off to Russia for a while, Honey and Mori were going on a cruise, Haruhi was going off to visit some distant family, and …Tamaki paused in his thoughts. _What is Kyouya doing for break, I wonder?_

At that exact moment, however, the girls surrounding Kyouya asked him cheerfully, "So Ootori-sempai, what are you doing for Winter break?"

Kyouya paused for a second, then replied, "I'm afraid I will be spending Winter break alone- my father was called away for important business, my brothers are traveling, and my sister is busy for most of the break." The girls had tears welling up in their eyes.

"That's so sad, sempai- having to spend Christmas alone!" Kyouya shrugged and changed to subject to what he was planning for the next Host Club meeting.

Tamaki couldn't blame the girls for almost crying- he certainly felt horrible to. _Poor poor Kyouya! Having to spend Christmas alone…it's just not right! _An image of his best friend, freezing next to a bare Christmas tree almost made Tamaki's heart tear apart in pain.

Tamaki shook his head in conviction. _I cannot, any under circumstances, let something like that happen! I'll have to think up a plan…"_

The twins, turned to Tamaki, who had begun to try and think of a plan to rescue Kyouya from a very lonely Christmas, and frowned.

"Uh oh…" Kaoru said.

"Mi-lord is thinking…that's a bad sign…" Hikaru stated, dropping the snow in his hand.

And as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. The twins gazed at each other suspiciously, wondering what it was Tamaki had thought of so suddenly.

Tamaki smiled, the plan now formed in his head clearly.

_Kyouya Ootori…this will be your best Christmas yet!_

_------------------------_

_a/n: A short, but sweet prologue. What has Tamaki planned for the shadow king? You'll have to read to find out in the next chapter: Day 1- Arrival!_

_Hope you enjoyed it! Reviewers will be loved!  
_


	2. Day 1 Arrival

a/n: Sorry about the late update- I've been working out the plotline for this on paper, and I'm almost done. I've also figured out that there is most likely going to be a sequel. Anyway, thanks to those of you who read and please remember to review!

The Angel in the Snow

**Chapter 1: Day 1 – Arrival**

Kyouya Ootori placed his book down upon the side table beside him and let out a sigh. Although he knew he must have imagined it, it almost sounded like his sigh had echoed through the entire house…but no, logically that was impossible. It had probably just come to mind because he was the only one _in_ the house. Yes, his family had left yesterday morning, and in a strange fit of kindness, Kyouya had let the maids have a week off to be with their families. So Kyouya yawned and pushed his glasses up his nose as he tried to ignore the strange, empty feel of the house he had grown up in.

_I should be happy: no noise, no distractions, no useless conversations…no father. This should be a dream come true… _Kyouya shivered as he felt a draft pass in front of him. _So…why aren't I enjoying this at all? _

Of course, Kyouya found his mind drifting off into thoughts of the other host members, and what they were probably doing at the moment. _The twins are probably up to their normal mischief…Hunny and Mori are probably sunbathing and eating something sickeningly sweet… _Kyouya's thoughts came to a stop. _Tamaki never said what he was doing over vacation._ Kyouya rolled his eyes. _Probably in France, flirting with every girl in sight…_

Just as he was about to pick up his book again, Kyouya jumped as there was a loud knock at the front door. _Who would be knocking? Father told all his associates that he would be away, so who…? _Frowning, slightly annoyed, Kyouya got up from the sofa, and reaching the door, threw it open with the force that was so well known for the Shadow King.

_Tamaki._

The blond prince smiled, and dropping his luggage, opened his arms wide. "Kyouya! I've come to save you!" Kyouya blinked and remained silent, trying to understand what Tamaki was saying. _…why is he here…at my house…with luggage….?_ Realizing Kyouya wasn't going to hug him in joy, Tamaki dropped his hands and tilted his head, giving him a confused appearance.

"…Kyouya?"

"Why are you here Tamaki?" Kyouya asked, refraining the urge to face-palm. Tamaki looked surprised.

"Why Kyouya, you haven't realized it? I've come to save you from the horror known as a lonely Christmas!"

Kyouya continued to blink at Tamaki, still trying to comprehend his friend's actions. Tamaki continued on in his normal dramatic way of explaining things.

"When I overheard you saying to our lovely customers at the host club that you were spending Christmas all alone in your house, the image of you shivering by an undecorated tree brought tears to my eyes, and I vowed to myself that I would come and save you from your cold, lonesome prison!" Kyouya continued to just stare and blink at his overenthusiastic friend.

"And how, exactly, do you plan on 'saving me'?" Tamaki's smile, if possible, became even brighter.

"I'm going to spend the week with you of course! Nothing makes Christmas Christmassy like company!" Seeing the glowing pureness of Tamaki's intentions and realizing that if he refused his friend would be heartbroken, Kyouya sighed tiredly, and nodded once, pushing his glasses back up.

"Alright then." Tamaki, jumping in joy, glomped Kyouya in a giant, tight hug.

"Merci! Merci, mon ami!" Sighing, Kyouya extracted himself from Tamaki, and turned to lead him into the house. _This is going to be one hell of a week…_He thought silently to himself. _…but, it might be nice having someone else around, even if it is someone like Tamaki._ Grabbing his luggage, the blonde joyfully followed Kyouya into the house.

As Kyouya led Tamaki up the stairs he began thinking things through. _The cooks are on break…what will we do about food?_ A thought struck him. _Well, he is always claiming how he wants to try living the commoner life- takeout should work fine. I'm pretty sure there are some numbers for takeout in the kitchen…_

As Kyouya reached the guest bedroom, he was faced with another problem…this one a little more perplexing. Taking in the absurd cleanliness and organization of the room, Kyouya let out another sigh.

Tamaki blinked in confusion as his friend halted in the doorway. "Kyouya?"

_If I let Tamaki use the guestroom, the room will become messed up and disorganized…and then there is the laundry. When the maids returned they'd surely be able to tell that someone used the room…and Father said specifically that no one was supposed to stay during the week. I guess he'll have to share my room._

"We're going to have to share my room." Kyouya stated as he began walking to his room. "The maids would notice if the guest room is touched, so we'll just stay in my room for the week. We can rotate every night: one person on the bed and one on the couch." Tamaki smiled.

"Okay."

Upon reaching Kyouya's spacious bedroom, Tamaki dropped off his luggage, and the both headed back downstairs and into the living room. They both fell onto the plush black-leather couch and Tamaki turned on the TV. At the same time, both of their stomachs rumbled rather loudly. Tamaki laughed and Kyouya rolled his eyes.

"Kyouya, I think I'm hungry."

"I was thinking of takeout- interested?" Tamaki jumped up with glittering eyes.

"Ah, the food of the commoner! Can it be Chinese?" Kyouya stood up and walked into the kitchen, looking for the number.

"Yeah, sure." Finding the number, Kyouya quickly called and placed the order, then walked back to the couch. The weather on the news was on the screen, but Kyouya only paid half a mind to it as he waited for the food to arrive. _"And the forecast for this week shows a rather large storm heading this way. There is a 90% chance that there will be snow further on in the week along with…"_ The doorbell rang, and Kyouya jumped up, and opening the door, paid the man and carried the food over to the coffee table in front of the couch. Tamaki had turned the TV off by then and was gazing out the window with a strange expression on his face.

Kyouya placed some of the takeout on a plate from the kitchen and placed it in front of Tamaki on the table. "Eat." Tamaki, waking up from whatever had occupied his mind, smiled at Kyouya.

"Thanks."

For a few minutes they ate in silence, then,

"Tamaki…does your family know you're here?" Tamaki slowly placed his chopsticks down on his plate and wouldn't look up at Kyouya.

"I didn't say specifically where I was going…just that I'd be staying with a friend." Hearing the tint of sadness in Tamaki's voice, Kyouya instantly wanted to ask more, but refrained, knowing that it'd probably just make the prince feel even worse. Kyouya inwardly shrugged, and opening the drawer in the table, he pulled out a pack of cards.

"Want to play cards for a while?" Tamaki, looking a bit happier after the change of topic, nodded enthusiastically.

They played cards for an hour, then decided they should get some sleep in. Trying to be considerate towards his guest, Kyouya let Tamaki take his bed while he slept on the couch.

"Goodnight Kyouya!"

"Goodnight Tamaki."

Pulling the blanket over him and placing his glasses on the table beside his couch, Kyouya sighed mentally. _Yes…this is going to be a long week indeed…_


	3. Day 2 Shopping

The Angel in the Snow

**Chapter 2: Day 2 – Shopping**

The world shook as the feared Shadow King opened his eyes…early. Kyouya rubbed his eyes, and realized that the reason he was awake at whatever ungodly hour it was was because of the boy jumping up and down in front of him due to his excess energy. Kyouya felt his blood pressure grow at a faster than normal rate. _Tamaki._ Fearfully, he turned his face towards his desk clock and read the time…6:00 AM. His blood pressure spiked.

"Kyouya, wake up! It's a brand new day and I've decided-" Before Tamaki could even finish his sentence, Kyouya had already gotten up, and with his cold eyes shining, chucked Tamaki out of his room and locked the door, then stormed back to his couch and tried to regain the sleep that had been robbed from him so unfairly.

* * *

Kyouya rolled over, and after rubbing his eyes, sighed. _Another day with Tamaki…hopefully he's learned his lesson about waking me up before I'm ready…_ Kyouya quickly changed, put on his glasses, then slowly walked down the stairs. As he reached the middle of the stairs, however, he came to a stop as a delicious aroma floated towards him. _What could that be? Did Tamaki already order breakfast?_

Kyouya walked into the kitchen to see something he hadn't been expecting- Tamaki cooking breakfast. Despite the fact that Kyouya had known him for years, and that Tamaki constantly talked about himself, he had not known that Tamaki could cook. As Tamaki turned around to flip the omelets he was making, he stopped humming and almost jumped- obviously not expecting Kyouya to be out of bed yet. Once he recovered from the surprise, he smiled brightly.

"Good morning Kyouya! I felt sort of bad for waking you up early, so I decided to make breakfast!"

"I didn't know you could cook." Tamaki shrugged.

"It never came up."

Once Tamaki finished with everything, they both sat down and began to eat. After a few minutes of silence, Tamaki put down his fork and said,

"Kyouya, I figured out what we're going to do today." Kyouya raised an eyebrow.

"And that would be…?" Tamaki's smile became wide.

"Christmas shopping! I thought that we could get a tree and then buy some decorations to put on it." Kyouya sighed inwardly. _Has no one told him how crowded the mall gets the week before Christmas? Well…maybe it won't be too bad…?_ Kyouya put down his fork, a form of surrender.

"Alright- we're going right after breakfast though. The mall is going to be crowded…"

* * *

The mall was crowded. Upon entering and finding a small area that wasn't stuffed with other late shoppers, Tamaki spun around, the familiar wide grin on his face and sparkles in his royal blue eyes. The entire place was decorated with faux Christmas trees and wreaths, as well as fake soft snow on the banisters. In the center of the mall a local school choir sang a familiar Christmas carol.

"_My friends, let's raise our voices in song_

_And decorate the room_

_On the special day known as today_

_Let's celebrate a merry Christmas_

_I was so excited, I couldn't sleep_

_But even though I'm low on sleep, I'm fine_

_Ding dong- Listen, in my heart_

_The bells of happiness ring_

_You can hear it too, can't you?_

_This joyful carol"_

Kyouya blinked. _The main girl singer is pretty good…_ His thoughts were interrupted as Tamaki, who had been dancing and clapping to the song, bumped into him. Smiling, his cheeks faintly flushed, Tamaki said,

"Isn't this wonderful, Kyouya? How could you come to a place like this and _not_ get into the spirit for Christmas?" Kyouya turned away quickly, and shrugging, Tamaki went back to listening to the song. However, if Tamaki had seen Kyouya's face, he would have been shocked to see a small, almost true smile grace his face. Shaking his head, Kyouya rid himself of the smile, and grabbing hold of Tamaki, dragged him over to the shops. _…let's just get this over with…_

_

* * *

  
_

It had only been a half an hour, but Kyouya was already carrying three bags of tree decorations, and Tamaki was out of sight, having run off into the crowd, yelling about something 'special' he had to get. Kyouya looked down at the giant bags of ordainments and sighed. _We're going to need a pretty big tree if we're going to use all of these… _Pulling out his cell phone, Kyouya quickly punched in the number of the tree place his father normally got their tree from and dialed. Finally, someone on the other end picked up.

"_Hello- Hayashi Christmas Tree Farm. How can we help you?"_

"Hello Hayashi-san, it's Ootori Kyouya. I was wondering if you could deliver a large tree to my house. Payment will have to be in plastic, if that's alright with you?"

"_Of course, Ootori-san! I'll get that tree over there right away!"_

"Thank you Hayashi-san." Kyouya closed his phone and looked around. _Still no sign of Tamaki…where could he have gotten to?_ Kyouya sighed. _I guess I should go find a present for him now that he's gone…_

_

* * *

  
_

Kyouya walked back towards the entrance of the mall, now balancing four bags in his hands. He had successfully found a gift for Tamaki- a gold colored diary with the words, "The Prince's" on the front. _Tamaki would be the type that keeps a diary…he'll like it._

When he had been paying for the gift, Tamaki had texted him, saying he was waiting outside for Kyouya. As Kyouya exited the building and into the cold outdoors, something caught his eyes. Tamaki was indeed standing out by the sidewalk, but surrounding him were a few girls that he was quite obviously flirting with.

As the image burned into his eyes, he felt his heart-beat speed up as his blood pressure rose. He became angry…so much that he felt he could spit venom at the lot of them. All the while, he was wondering to himself, _why? Why am I so angry? _

He didn't want to admit it, but it wasn't the first time he had felt this way. No, the first time he had felt this strange, venomous pain, was half a year ago, when he had seen Tamaki walk down those stairs with the French girl he soon ran away with, except back then, it had been a bit different. Kyouya had felt not only angry and venomous, but also betrayed and…alone. It was something he never wanted to experience again.

He stormed up to the group of them, and without even thinking about it, grabbed Tamaki by the arm and dragged him off, heading in the direction of home. Tamaki looked surprised and glanced at Kyouya in confusion, but didn't try to pull away.

"Kyouya, is something wrong?" Kyouya tried to keep the malice out of his voice.

"Do you have to flirt with every girl you see?"

Tamaki blinked. "Isn't that what we normally do?" Kyouya sighed and shook his head, deciding that maybe silence was best for now.

* * *

As they reached the gates guarding the Ootori home, a new problem presented itself to Kyouya. Thinking quickly, he shoved Tamaki into the bushes to the side of them. After a second, Tamaki's blond head popped out, a few leaves stuck in his hair.

"Kyouya why-" Kyouya motioned for him to lower his voice, then said,

"I ordered a tree while you were skipping through the mall, and Hayashi's already here with it. If he sees you following me home, he might report it to my father- they have close ties. So, just stay here until Hayashi leaves." Tamaki nodded, and taking a deep breath, ducked back into the thick bush.

Kyouya greeted Hayashi, then quickly opened the gates so that Hayashi could get the tree up the driveway and into the house. Once the tree was set up, Kyouya quickly slid his credit card through the pay machine Hayashi had brought, and after saying thank you and watching the man drive away, Kyouya quickly ran back outside to fetch Tamaki.

"Tamaki, you can come out now." Tamaki's figure burst out of the bushes, covered in twigs and leaves, and a few minor scratches.

"You owe me one for that, Kyouya." Kyouya raised an eyebrow.

"How do I possibly owe you? If you weren't bumming at my house for the week, there would have been no need for you to hide in a bush. If anything, you owe me."

Tamaki pouted. "I'm not _bumming_ at your house, I'm keeping you _company_! It's supposed to benefit both of us!" Kyouya shrugged and began walking back up the driveway.

"Sure…whatever you say…" Tamaki raced after him, yelling,

"You know its true Kyouya Ootori! By the end of this week you're going to be on your knees thanking me for saving you from a lonely, cold Christmas!" Kyouya laughed at the thought.

_Yeah, like that will ever happen…_

_-----------------_

_A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay- I decided to participate in NaNoWriMo, and family issues came up as well...so this was put off quite a bit. But I'm back on track now! So...the song lyrics used in this chapter are from "Yorokobi no Carol" by the voice actor for Tomoyo Daidouji from Cardcaptor Sakura, just in case you were wondering. It's a cute song! So, my profile will be constantly updated on story progress, so if you're wondering about when the next chapter will be out, check there. So, thanks for reading, and please leave a review if you have time!  
_


	4. Day 3 The Storm

The Angel in the Snow

**Chapter 3: Day 3 – The Storm**

Kyouya sighed tiredly, rubbing his forehead while trying to ignore the pain shooting through it. For some reason or other he had been unable to get any sleep last night, and by three in the morning, he had a full on migraine growing in the right side of his head. He would have gone to go get headache medicine, but for some stupid reason, he hadn't wanted to wake Tamaki, so he had decided to just deal with it. _What a stupid, illogical reason…_ He thought to himself in his corner of misery while Tamaki walked around the room (quite energetically) and talked to himself.

Kyouya decided to try and drown out his friend's voice by flipping on the TV, which happened to be on the weather channel.

_As you can see, today is going to have a constant downfall of rain. As we get on to later in the evening, there is a high possibility that it will turn into quite a storm out there, including a possibility of hail and strong gusty winds. We advise all people living in the area of where the storm is to hit, that they do not leave their homes, and if they must, please use a means of transportation other than walking._

Kyouya sighed. _Bad choice…there's even more noise than before._ Flipping the TV off, he turned angrily to Tamaki.

"Tamaki…what are you doing?"

Tamaki came to a halt. "I don't really know…since it's raining outside, any plans that I had made before we're unable to do, so I'm trying to think of an alternative…" Kyouya frowned.

"Well, I'm tired. Why don't you go look around the house for something to do?" Tamaki seemed to brighten a bit.

"Okay Kyouya!"

Kyouya lay his head down on the couch arm rest. _Maybe I can get some more sleep…_

_

* * *

  
_

_Kyouya yawned and sat up. He was in his bed in his room, but he couldn't remember falling asleep. As he stood up, something felt a bit off, but as he did a three-sixty to take in all of his room, he couldn't find anything that seemed different. Shrugging to himself, he was about to walk towards his door when something sparkling caught his eyes from the window. Turning, he began to walk towards the window._

_Just as he reached the beam of the window, his sight began to fade._

_

* * *

  
_

Kyouya opened his eyes and frowned. _What a stupid dream…_ Despite knowing that it was only a dream, he had really wanted to know what was outside the window. Shrugging it off, he decided to get up and head to his room to see if he could find anything to do with himself.

He only remembered that Tamaki was running wild in his house when he was half-way up the stairs and realized he didn't hear any noise._ This can't be good. _Blood pressure rising, Kyouya ran up the remaining stairs, and threw open his bedroom door in a panic he didn't know he was in.

Tamaki was standing on his desk near the window, reaching up and holding something in his hand, seeming to be inspecting it. Kyouya knew instantly what it was, and fear got a grip over him as he yelled out, "Tamaki, stop!"

Tamaki, shocked upon the door flying open and Kyouya's abnormal yell, lost his balance on the desk, and Kyouya watched in horrific slow-motion as Tamaki tumbled backwards, dropping the glass star in his hand which shattered loudly upon the floor below. The only thing that followed was silence.

Kyouya could feel his entire body shaking from withholding far too many emotions. Tears fell from his eyes, yet he felt more like punching a wall…or Tamaki. But he couldn't get words out of his mouth…he could only stare at the shards of what had been his most precious possession lying upon his floor, their color now dull to his eyes.

Tamaki, slowly stood up, and upon seeing Kyouya shaking, began to approach him slowly, then stopped. "…Kyouya…are you alright?"

The first sound that came out of Kyouya's mouth…was laughter. It was the kind of laughter that one would hear in nightmares…the kind of laughter that rings down the many halls of an asylum- the kind of laughter that states quite clearly, everything is **not** alright.

"Kyouya…?"

Kyouya's head shot up, revealing in the light his tear-stained face and eyes that were as cold as death.

"…am I alright? AM I ALRIGHT?! I HAVEN'T BEEN ALRIGHT FOR DAYS! YOU WALTZ INTO MY HOUSE, CLAIMING YOU'RE HERE TO KEEP ME COMPANY AND TO MAKE MY CHRISTMAS HAPPY, AND WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU MAKE ME BABYSIT YOU! YOU MAKE ME YOUR BAGGAGE CARRIER AND DRAG ME THROUGH A MALL TO BUY THINGS YOU WANT! AND WHILE I'M TRYING TO GET SOME SLEEP I SEVERELY NEED, YOU DECIDE TO BREAK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN MY HOUSE! NO, TAMAKI, I'M NOT OKAY, AND I WON'T BE UNTIL YOU LEAVE, SO GO! GET OUT!"

Kyouya went silent and tried to get a control on his breathing. He couldn't see Tamaki's expression; his hair was covering his eyes. However, as Tamaki passed him to leave through the door in a hurry, Kyouya could feel the waves of depression being emitted from him. Under normal circumstances, Kyouya would have _never_ lost his cool like that…but, gazing down at the shards on his floor, he could feel sadness welling up inside of him. As he heard the front door close, Kyouya sighed, and flipping off the light to his room, he closed the door behind him and went downstairs.

* * *

After about a half-an-hour, Kyouya had returned to his normal self. Sure, he was still partially angry at Tamaki, but he realized that Tamaki hadn't meant to break it- that it had been an accident and that he knew he was partially responsible. _Once he returns, I'll apologize to him and explain…_

But the minutes ticked by, and three hours later, Tamaki had yet to come back. Although Kyouya didn't want to admit it, he was beginning to worry. _Tamaki normally bounces right back after being yelled at…but he's really sensitive…I really thought he'd be back by now…was I really that harsh?_ He shook his head. _I'll give him another half-an-hour…_

Forty-five minutes went by, and Tamaki still didn't return. Kyouya, agitated, admitted to himself that he was worried. _I guess I'll flip on the TV to distract myself._ However, upon flipping on the TV, a warning flashed upon the television, and the weather report he had watched earlier came back to his memory.

Once again he could feel panic crawling through his veins. _It's a storm out there- what if Tamaki's lost? What if he's freezing to death- I don't remember him wearing a jacket when he left…I've got to go find him!_

Throwing his black jacket on, Kyouya threw open the front door and began running down the driveway and to the street.

* * *

The rain was pelting against him harshly, but he did his best to ignore it. The wind howled at him as it slowed his pace down, and Kyouya bit his lip to stop himself from cursing the foul weather. He just reached the park when disaster hit him.

Slipping in a large puddle of water as the rain turned to hail, Kyouya fell with a SPLASH, and his glasses went flying. Kyouya waited a minute to get up, then struggled onto his knees and hands. _Tamaki's out here somewhere…need to find my glasses…_ As he crawled forward, his hand smashed something below it- something sharp that splintered into his hand and was painful beyond belief. Kyouya cringed as his near-sighted eyes saw the blood flowing from the palm of his hand into the puddle below. He had smashed his glasses, and the glass was now embedded in his hand.

A strange tiredness came over Kyouya- something he was unused to. _Maybe this is all hopeless…Tamaki could be ways away…and I can't see. There's no way to get home…no way to find Tamaki…_ Just as he was about to give up…to allow that tiredness to take over, he heard footsteps approach him, and a familiar hand grab his arm.

"Kyouya! Kyouya, what happened? What are you doing out here?" Kyouya couldn't hold it in…he laughed.

"Looking for you, idiot!"

* * *

With Tamaki's help, they both managed to make it home. Tamaki gently removed Kyouya's coat, then helped him to the kitchen, where he sat Kyouya down in one of the chairs.

"Kyouya, where do you keep the tweezers?"

"Second drawer below the stove top." Tamaki quickly took out the tweezers, and then taking a seat next to his friend, began to take out the shards of glass in Kyouya's hand.

Kyouya gazed down at Tamaki's hand holding his own. "…Tamaki?"

"Hmm?" Tamaki replied, concentrating solely on removing the glass from his friend's hand.

"…thank you, for saving me…and I'm sorry for yelling at you like that…I overreacted." Tamaki stopped for a second and looked up.

"Kyouya, it's fine- that's what friends do…but, if I may ask; what was it that made that glass star so special to you- because anything that makes Kyouya Ootori emotional, must be very important to him." Kyouya looked down at his slightly swelling, but now cleared of glass, hand.

"It was…the only gift I had left from my mother…" Kyouya bit his lip as he tasted salt. _Ugh…the tears have returned… _Although he couldn't see his friends face clearly, he knew Tamaki would have a tragic look upon his face, but his blue eyes would be full of compassion. He had seen that look so many times…

Kyouya nearly jumped as he felt warm arms encircle him, but after a second his heartbeat slowed, and unlike anything he'd normally do, Kyouya hugged his friend back. Just this once, he'd allow someone close to his heart…because it had been so long since he had felt anything like it.

"Kyouya…I'm so sorry…please forgive me…" Kyouya smiled through his tears.

"It's okay Tamaki…I forgive you- that's what friends do." After a minute, Tamaki pulled back and quickly bandaged Kyouya's hand.

* * *

The two talked for a while, but Tamaki was careful to avoid the topic of the star or of Kyouya's mom. When Kyouya went upstairs to his room, the shards were no longer on his floor- he assumed Tamaki must have come in and cleaned it up so Kyouya wouldn't feel pained seeing it.

As Kyouya gazed up at the ceiling of his bedroom, he couldn't help but accept that his view of Tamaki had changed considerably after the accident. Yes, Tamaki was silly and somewhat vain, but underneath the princely exterior, he had the heart of a commoner…the heart of a caring and kind person.

Rolling over on his side, Kyouya closed his eyes and wondered what else he'd find out about his friend within the next two days.

* * *

_a/n: Sorry that this is a day late- Saturday I had two Mock-Trial Scrimmages in a row, and after that I didn't have enough energy to lift my head off my desk._

_So....I really feel like I didn't do this chapter justice...it just didn't come out the way I imagined it to, but I really can't think of much else that can help it so...yeah, sorry if it isn't very good. Please enjoy and if you have time, please review also! Thanks to all of you that reviewed the last chapter! You make me feel fuzzy inside, and really help motivate me to write more for this fanfic!  
_


	5. Day 4 Decorating

The Angel in the Snow

**Chapter 4: Day 4 – Decorating**

Kyouya yawned, and after stretching out his arms, reached for his glasses on the bedside stand. His ears picked up the sound of rain hitting the ground below. _I guess today is going to be an inside activity day…I wonder what Tamaki has planned._ Upon feeling mostly awake, he quickly changed into some new clothes and headed out of his room and down the stairs to the kitchen.

Tamaki had already cooked breakfast- a large stack of waffles were sitting on the counter. Tamaki was sitting on the living room couch, watching the TV which was still on the Weather Channel. Kyouya grabbed a plate and took two waffles, then sat down next to Tamaki, turning his attention to the television. After what had happened last night, he was never going to ignore the weather alerts ever again.

_It seems the storm that has moved in is only going to become worse, so it is advised that people living in areas where the storm is harshest stay in their houses for the time being, unless travel is necessary, which in that case, one should take automobiles and not risk on foot travel._

Tamaki flipped off the television, and turned to Kyouya.

"Good morning Kyouya!"

Kyouya quickly swallowed the mouthful of breakfast, and replied,

"Good morning." After eating a little more while Tamaki got up to do the dishes, Kyouya asked,

"What are we doing today?" Tamaki blinked at him in confusion.

"Isn't obvious? We've got to decorate this place!" Kyouya looked around him. Because of the storm there was no sunlight shining through the windows, which did seem to give the house a gloomier than normal atmosphere. _Maybe decorating the place won't be too bad…_

_

* * *

  
_

They decided to start with the tree which was sitting in the left corner of the living room. While Kyouya hunted down the tree stand in the storage room, Tamaki got out all the lights and decorations they had bought in the mall earlier that week. Once they had both managed to get the tree onto the stand, Tamaki grabbed the lights and started putting them on the tree while singing a carol to himself.

Kyouya, for the most part, wasn't really needed for anything while Tamaki did that, so he decided to go to the kitchen and make some tea. As he sat there and watched the kettle heat up, he heard Tamaki yell (rather frantically),

"Kyouya- I think I need some help!" Kyouya quickly ran back into the room. _I hope he didn't knock the tree over onto himself or something…_

Upon entering the room, he saw a half covered tree and a very tangled up Tamaki in lights. Kyouya resisted the urge to face-palm.

"And _how_ did you manage this?" Tamaki smiled sheepishly.

"I guess I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have been…" Despite the fact that it would be a pain to get his friend out, Kyouya couldn't hold back the smile that he felt coming, so he quickly turned around so the prince couldn't see.

"Uh, Kyouya…are you okay?" Shaking his head to get rid of it, Kyouya turned around and nodded.

"I'm fine- let's get you out of that…"

Once Tamaki was freed from the light-strings, Kyouya returned to the kitchen and let Tamaki finish up the lights. When he brought the tea back into the living room the tree seemed to be finished, but he couldn't spot Tamaki anywhere.

"Tamaki?" There was no response. _Hmm…maybe he went to the restroom._ Shrugging, Kyouya turned to gaze at the tree. _Well…since it's finished, I might as well turn the lights on now- it's dark enough in the house._ Had Kyouya said this out-loud, he probably wouldn't have done so, but Kyouya didn't normally speak his mind, so walking over to the wall, Kyouya plugged the light string into the electrical outlet.

The first thing that struck Kyouya's mind was that they had been ripped off. _Brand new lights and they're just blowing out like that? We were ripped off._ Indeed, the lights were blowing out, and although it wasn't a pleasant thing to watch, Kyouya didn't worry because the shocks created weren't enough to light the tree on fire. However, Kyouya did become worried when he heard Tamaki crying out,

"OUCH! OW! KYOUYA TURN THEM OFF!!!" Kyouya quickly did as the voice said, and then called out,

"Tamaki, where are you?" Tamaki's voice got smaller.

"Behind the tree." Kyouya quickly went around to the other side of the tree and found, not to his surprise, that Tamaki had once again managed to tangle himself up in the remainder of the lights, which had blown out when Kyouya had plugged them in.

"Kyouya…help please…" Tamaki begged. This time Kyouya couldn't hold it in, and suddenly the room was ringing from his laughter.

"Kyouya, it's not funny!" Tamaki exclaimed, pouting, but after a minute gave in, and to began to laugh.

Once Kyouya and Tamaki had calmed down, Kyouya quickly helped his friend out of the lights.

"You should probably put those burns under cold water." Suggested Kyouya.

"Yeah, I think I'll go do that." Replied Tamaki, looking down at the red marks on his skin.

Once Tamaki had left, Kyouya lay down on the couch and closed his eyes. _It's been a while since I've really laughed like that…it felt sort of nice…I even smiled today too. I must be having an off day…_ Letting his thoughts drift off, Kyouya fell asleep.

* * *

_Kyouya yawned and sat up. He was in his bed in his room, but he couldn't remember falling asleep. As he stood up, something felt a bit off, but as he did a three-sixty to take in all of his room, he couldn't find anything that seemed different. Shrugging to himself, he was about to walk towards his door when something sparkling caught his eyes from the window. Turning, he began to walk towards the window._

_As he reached the beam, he looked down into his yard and blinked in surprise. There was an angel below, standing in the snow-covered yard. The sun was just rising and caused the angel's blond hair to shine with a strange yet beautiful radiance. The angel's face seemed somewhat flushed and he was smiling in such a serene way that Kyouya's heart felt at peace looking down upon the amazing sight: the angel in the snow._

_

* * *

  
_

"Kyouya; wake up! Do you plan on sleeping all day?" Kyouya was rudely awoken from his strange dream by Tamaki's boisterous voice. Shaking his head, the shadow king opened his eyes and sat up.

Tamaki was standing by the tree, a red ornament in hand. He had apparently discovered a radio because Christmas carols now filled the empty silence of the house. "Come on Kyouya, let's finish the tree!" Kyouya sighed.

"Okay then."

As they placed different ornaments all over the lit-up tree, Tamaki said,

"Can you believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve Kyouya? The week sure seems to have flown by!" As he placed the red orb upon one of the branches, Kyouya had to admit to himself that Tamaki was right- the week had gone by fast. And although he would never say it out-loud, Kyouya knew that this had been one of the more strange, yet fun of Christmas weeks he had ever had…maybe the most. Upon realizing this, Kyouya realized that he would have to thank his friend…Tamaki had been right all along.

Tamaki had saved Kyouya from a lonely Christmas, but he had provided Kyouya with so much more that company…

"Earth to Kyouya!" Blinking, Kyouya realized that he had become so lost in his thoughts that he had frozen. Shaking his head, and smiling (just a little), Kyouya continued to decorate the tree and talk with his friend, for the first time feeling thankful that Tamaki had come up with such a crazy plan to stay for the week.

* * *

_a/n: Sorry for the delay everyone! So, this is pretty much a filler-chapter of sorts, I think it has its moments too. :P So now that I found my plot-outline sheet, it seems there will be two more days and then an epilogue leading into the sequel (which I've already started outlining XD) . So...thanks to all of you who reviewed the last chapter, and a thanks in advanced to those of you who will be so kind as to review this one as well!_


	6. Day 5 Love

a/n: Sorry about the gigantic delay everyone! School has been terrible and I got writers-block-from-hell for all of my stories. But I'm on Spring Break now, so more shall get done! I plan to finish this story by Thursday latest- there's only two and a half chapters left. So yeah...for more news, check my profile! Enjoy! Please review if you have time!

The Angel in the Snow

Chapter 5: Day 5 – Love

Kyouya awoke to the smell of cinnamon and peppermint. _I wonder what Tamaki's cooking…_ As Kyouya finished changing, a thought hit him. _I should put his present under the tree now that it's Christmas Eve._ Walking over to his closet, he pulled down the golden-wrapped package and headed downstairs.

Tamaki was in the kitchen singing, from the sound of it, something French. Kyouya quickly placed the present beside one that was already there. _He must have bought me something when we went to the mall…_ Upon returning to the kitchen and sitting down at the counter, Tamaki stopped his singing and placed a plate of muffins in front of Kyouya, and then sat down heavily next to him.

"Good morning Kyouya!"

"Good morning, Tamaki." Kyouya's gaze took in all the food Tamaki had made- cookies, a chocolate pie, the muffins in front of them, and, from what it looked like…

"Tamaki, is that a turkey in the oven?" He nodded happily.

"I had my servants drop it off so we can have a traditional Christmas Eve dinner." Kyouya blinked.

"How long have you been up?"

"Since five- couldn't sleep well." A foreboding thought floated through Kyouya's mind.

"Tamaki- won't your servants tell your family where you are?" His friend sighed, placing his fork down.

"It's possible- I called my most loyal, but Grandma has a way of turning people against me. I guess…we'll just have to wait and see."

Seeing Tamaki feeling so hurt due to his family struck a chord in Kyouya's heart. _I know how he feels…how terrible it is…_ Before Kyouya even realized what he was doing, he had placed his hand upon Tamaki's shoulder.

"Don't think about it…them. Let's focus on now- Christmas Eve." Tamaki looked up startled.

"Kyouya…" His expression turned into a warm smile. "You're right- thanks."

* * *

Kyouya looked around the living room, Christmas wreaths and garland piled in his arms. He turned to gaze at Tamaki beside him.

"I'll take this room if you get the stair banister and the upstairs area." Tamaki nodded.

"Okay!" Hearing Tamaki running off to go decorate the stairs, Kyouya sighed and began his own duty of decorating.

Within a good twenty or so minutes, Kyouya was putting the final touches on the living room when it began to rain outside. _It sounds pretty loud…must be down-pouring… _Kyouya turned as he heard footsteps approaching him from behind.

Tamaki walked towards him, smiling yet sporting a bump on the left side of his forehead. Kyouya rolled his eyes, yet a small smile appeared on his face.

"Let me guess; you fell down the stairs?" Tamaki scratched the back of his head, gazing down at the floor.

"…maybe…"

Kyouya could do nothing to stop it; laughter escaped his mouth, ringing through the large room they stood in. Tamaki stared at him in surprise, and a gentle smile spread over his face. As Kyouya calmed down enough to look at his friend, he noticed something in Tamaki's eyes that hadn't been there before.

"…what?"

Tamaki shook his head. "Oh…nothing. I just think…you should laugh more." Tamaki then turned, and walked into the kitchen, leaving Kyouya to ponder what he hadn't seen before.

* * *

"The turkey is done!" Tamaki opened up the large oven and pulled out the sizzling turkey, filling the room with the aroma of dinner. Kyouya who had been assigned the job of mashing the potatoes, breathed in the delicious smell.

"Smells great Tamaki." Tamaki glowed with pride.

"If you've finished mashing the potatoes Kyouya, I think we're all set for dinner." Kyouya handed his friend the bowl.

Soon enough, the two were eating away. Kyouya couldn't remember a more delicious meal. _He's an excellent cook…he must have been taught in France…_ Tamaki turned to gaze at him, his fork halted in mid-air.

"How is it?"

"Really delicious." Tamaki smiled and turned his gaze back in front of him.

"I'm glad."

* * *

After dinner Tamaki decided to play the piano so they could sing carols. Normally, Kyouya would have tried bitterly to get out of it, but there was just something different…something about this Christmas the sparked the will in him to sing of things he had never understood quite as clearly- peace, kindness, love.

Despite his sometimes dramatic way of singing, Kyouya knew Tamaki had a good voice- he had noticed when the Host Club members had recorded a vocal CD to boost their sales. However, he hadn't been able to listen to it like this- with so much soul put into it. It was almost…stunning.

As they finished, both of them blinked in surprise as they realized some of the noise hadn't stopped with them. Tamaki gazed over at one of the windows.

"…hail?" Kyouya nodded.

"Seems likely." As he exhaled, he could see the puff of air appear in front of him. "It's certainly cold enough…" He gazed down at the two presents under the tree. "We should open those upstairs where it's warmer."

"Okay."

* * *

Tamaki squealed in delight and hugged the golden book to his chest, grinning widely.

"Thank you thank you thank you Kyouya! It's perfect!" Kyouya smiled a little.

"I'm glad." They were sitting on his bed, exchanging gifts while the storm raged outside the warmly lit room. It felt peaceful.

Suddenly, and with an unusual amount of calmness, Tamaki placed his book beside him and handed Kyouya his gift, not making eye contact. _Well…that's strange…_

Opening the gift, Kyouya gazed at it in wide-eyed shock.

"I know it can't replace the one your mother gave you Kyouya, but I…I wanted to help heal that pain…the best way I could…"

Kyouya hugged the blue and gold glass star to his chest, gazing straight down to hide the tears falling from his eyes in his hair. It didn't seem to work as well as he thought it would.

Tamaki sat down in front of Kyouya, worry etched all over his face. " Kyouya! Kyouya, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for it to make you upset! Please forgive me!"

Kyouya laughed softly, tears still rolling down his face, which, if Tamaki looked closer, he would realize was holding a kind smile. "…you moron."

"Kyouy-" Instinct took over. Kyouya's lips came crashing down onto Tamaki's in a tear-soaked, gentle kiss. Tamaki was stiff for a moment from shock, but once recovering, closed his eyes and let Kyouya continue.

Kyouya pulled away suddenly, shock written all over his face. "I shouldn't have- I didn't… I'm sorry…" Kyouya quickly made to move away, but Tamaki grabbed his wrist before he could reach for the door.

"Kyouya!" Kyouya turned around to face his friend, worried. _I could have just ruined everything…_ Seeing as Kyouya had halted his run for the door, Tamaki smiled gently and took hold of his hand.

"Kyouya, it's alright. You…I…" Unable to complete his sentence, Tamaki , before Kyouya could even wonder what he was thinking, placed his lips upon Kyouya's, gently kissing him, then pulling away, blushing.

"It's alright…I love you too…" Kyouya smiled and gazed down at the star in his hands, then looked up at Tamaki.

"Let's put this up…together."

They both stood up on the large wooden desk, and after a few minutes of struggling, they managed to get it pinned to the ceiling, where it hung and glittered in the light. Kyouya and Tamaki smiled at each other, noticing the shine in each other's eyes.

"Merry Christmas Tamaki."

"Merry Christmas Kyouya."

As the grandfather clock in the living room downstairs struck twelve, the two's lips met in their own enchanted Christmas kiss, for the first time, experiencing the feeling of true love.


End file.
